Steaming apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H.G.HALL-.

STEAMING APPARATUS.

No. 506,224. Patented Oct. 10, 18 93.

A TTQHNEYS.

' NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G. HALL, OF BLACKSBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA.

STEAMING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,224, dated October10,1893.

Application filed December 15, 1892. Serial No. 455,315. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY G. HALL, of Blacksburg, in the county of Yorkand State of South Carolina, have invented a new and Improved SteamingApparatus, of which the 1followmg is a full, clear, and exactdescripion. The invention relates to apparatus for steamlng cannedfruits, vegetables, &c., and

its object is to provide a new and improved steaming apparatus which issimple and durable in construction, very effective in operation, andarranged to properly time the steaming according to the nature of thegoods un-v der treatment.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations ofthe same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional plan View of the improvement on theline 11 ofFig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional sideelevation of the same on the line 2-2of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View of the furnace on the line 33of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section of one of thebaskets on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 5 is a sectional sideelevation of the same on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

'Ihe improved steaming apparatus is provlded with a kettle A, preferablymade circular, set with its base or bottom plate A on a furnace B,provided at one side with a suitable firing chamber O, connected with acircular channel B, formed in the furnace B under the base plate A, andleading to a recess B connecting at its upper end with an outlet flue D,arranged in the center of the base plate A and leading to the outside tocarry off the smoke and gases rising in the furnace.

On the under side of the base plate A are secured a number ofcirculating pipes A connected at their ends with the interior of thekettle, so that the water contained in the latter can circulate throughthe said pipes and is highly heated by the heat in the circular channelB of the furnace. By this arran gement the Water can be veryhighlyheated in the kettle, it being understood that the bottom part ofthe kettle proper is also exposed to the influence of the heat passingthrough the channel B to the recess B 'andfinally to the outlet flue'D.y

In the circular kettle A. is adapted to travel a series of baskets E,containing the filled cans to be steamed, the said basketsbeingpreferably mounted on wheels so as to form basket carriages, the wheelstraveling in the bottom of the kettle, the latter form ing a track. Eachof the baskets E is engaged by an arm Gr, extending upward and inward toconnect at its inner end with an annular flange H secured on a sleeve H,mounted to turn on the upper part of 'the fine D, as is plainly shown inFig. 2. The outer end of each arm G, engaging the respective basket E,fits into a vertical slot E arranged transversely in the basket, so thatthe basketv can rise and fall, at the same time being pushed forward bythe arm G when the sleeve H is revolved. In order to reduce thefriction, I provide each of the arms G with a friction roller G,traveling on the top edge of the inner wall Not the kettle A.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the side of the kettle A opposite the firingchamber 0 is formed with aplatform A the ends of which are provided withinclines A and A leading back to the bottom of the kettle proper. Thisarrangement is for the purpose of causing the baskets E to travel up oneincline onto the platform A so that the baskets are raised out of thewater in the kettle to permit of introducing the cans, removing the samefrom the baskets, and soldering the vent holes, as hereinafter morefully described.

' The sleeve H is provided with a disk I, the top face of which isengaged by a friction pulley J, held adjustably on a shaft K, andturning with the same, the said shaft being connected with suitablemachineryv for imparting a rotary motion to the shaft and its pulley J,so that the latter, by its frictional contact with the disk I, rotatesthe sleeve H. The shaft K has a uniform motion, but in order to vary thespeed of the baskets .E according to the material under treatment, thepulley J is shifted on the shaft nearer to or farther from the center ofthe disk so as to increase or decrease the speed of the disk, as isreadily understood.

The operation is as follows: The cans are filled into the baskets E whenthe latter are on the platform A and then a rotary motion is given tothe sleeve H, as above described, so that the arm G connected with therespective basket E moves the latter forward in the direction of thearrow at and down the incline A onto the bottom of the kettle, so thatthe cans are immersed in the highly heated water. hen a basket has madea revolution it comes back to the platform A and the operator thensolders the vent holes in the cans in that particular basket while inmotion, after which this basket is again passed once more through thewater in the kettle, and when it finally arrives the second time on theplat-form A, the cans are removed and new ones are placed in the basket.

Each of the baskets E is preferably pro- Vided with a bail F, forconveniently lifting the basket into or out. of the kettle for fillingor emptying the basket, or for other purposes.

It will be seen that by this apparatus the water can be readily heatedto a temperature say of about 275, which is sufficient to steam allfruits, vegetables and the like, to the proper degree. It will furtherbe seen that the wheeled baskets can be conveniently wheeled to and fromthe packing room in case the baskets are to be filled and emptied there.

Having thus fully described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. A steaming apparatus comprising a furnacehaving an annular flue provided with a central outlet, an annular opentop kettle over said line with its central opening registering with saidoutlet, and a series of U- shaped pipes on the under side of the kettlewithin the fine, substantially as set forth.

2. A steaming apparatus comprising an open top circular kettle providedwith a platform having tapering ends and a series of separate andindependent removable baskets traveling around the kettle and adapted tobe removed and inserted at said platform, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the open top kettle and a horizontal rotarybasket-operator provided with a circular series of arms traveling aroundthe kettle, of the baskets separate and independent of each other andcarried around by the arms, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the open top kettle and the rotary circularseries of arms entering the kettle, of the separate and independentbaskets carried around Within the kettle by said arms and means forsuccessively raising an d lowering the basketsat one side of the kettleduring their rotation, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the kettle of arotary series of arms extendingdown into the kettle and bent outward or radially at their lower endswithin the kettle, of baskets traveling on the bottom of the kettle andeach having a vertically extending slot to receive one of said arms,substantially as set forth.

6. A steaming apparatus, provided with a circular kettle having aplatform, and inclines leading from the ends of the platform to thebottom of the kettle, a series of wheeled baskets mounted to travel inthe said kettle, arms engaging the said baskets, and a revoluble sleevecarrying the said arms, for moving the said baskets in the said kettleup and down the inclines and along the platform, substantially as shownand described.

7. A steaming apparatus, provided with a circular kettle having aplatform, and inclines leading from the ends of the platform to thebottom of the kettle, a series of wheeled baskets mounted to travelinthe said kettle, arms engaging the said baskets, a revoluble sleevecarrying the said arms, for moving the said baskets in the said kettle,up and down the inclines and along the platform, a disk secured on thesaid sleeve, and a revoluble shaft carryinga pulley engaging the saiddisk, substantially as shown and described.

8. A steaming apparatus, provided with a circular kettle having aplatform, and inclines leading from the ends of the platform to thebottom of the kettle, a series of wheeled baskets mounted to travel inthe said kettle, arms engaging the said baskets, a revoluble sleevecarrying the said arms, for moving the said baskets in the said kettle,up and down the inclines and along the platform, a disk secured on thesaid sleeve, and a revoluble shaftoarrying a pulley engaging the saiddisk, the said pulley being held adjustably on the said shaft toincrease or decrease the speed of the said disk and that of the baskets,sub stantially as shown and described.

9. A steaming apparatus comprising the furnace having an annular flue Bprovided with a central outlet B the annular kettle over the fine andhaving a central smoke pipe registering with said outlet, and a platformprovided with inclined ends, a rotary sleeve on the said pipe and havinga series of radial arms extending down into said annular kettle, gearingfor rotating the sleeve and a series of basket-carriages removablyengaging said arms, substantially as set forth.

10. In a steaming apparatus the basketcarriage E provided with wheelsand having a vertical transverse slot E extending into it from below,substantially as set forth.

HENRY G. HALL.

Witnesses:

D. D. GAsToN, J. B. J ONES.

IIO

